Page:Guide to the Bohemian section and to the Kingdom of Bohemia - 1906.djvu/63

47 appearance, of the brilliant host of his visitors and the distinguished company of gentlewomen who were the brightest ornaments of this proud house. Now, only the fine architecture of the splendid palace remains, the stone-wrought ornamentation of its porches, doors and windows impressing our minds with some idea of the once princely residence, which up to this day does honour to the memory of its brilliant founder.

Leaving this, we wend our way by the opposite palace of the Auersbergs to the Parliamentsquare. This is one of the quietest and most pleasant corners of the Small-town. It is not level, and the slope is adorned with several acacia-trees. Only a flowing water-fountain with the statue of some saint is wanting to heighten the poetical aspect of this quiet space. To this peaceful group of trees a dark background is formed by the Counts of Chamarée now of the Bylandt-Rheidts. The rest of the square is fronted by a building which having formerly belonged to the „Estates of Bohemia“ is now the session-house of the Diet of the kingdom of Bohemia, an edifice with a sober façade dating from the beginning of the XIXth. century. Bestowing only a passing glance upon the picturesque renaissance gables of the backpart of the Montag-house with its tower, where in 1618 the Bohemian Utraquistic Estates held a conference the eve before the famous defenestration the governors of Bohemia, then giving a look at the fine palace of the viceroy of Bohemia and the government offices with a high baroque porch, we turn to the left into the narrow Thun-street and from it into Thomas-street which is flanked by several beautiful baroque houses with arcades, amongst them the pretty façade of a rather small house (No. 4) adorned with an effective statuary group of St. Hubertus with a stag, probably the work of Dienzenhoffer. In a short time we reach St. Thomas church, originally built in the gothic style, but later, following a great conflagration (1727), rebuilt by Kilian Ign. Dienzenhoffer in baroque. It contains beautiful frescoes by Wenceslaus Lawrence Reiner who at that time was the most sought after of Bohemian painters. Interesting also are the adjoining cloisters of the Augustinian monastery which contain the tomb of the famous latin poetess of English